“We have never seen a science project funded this fast,” said Microryza’s co-founder, Cindy Wu. “It happens for things like the Veronica Mars movie, or Zach Braff. But science is normally thought of as too esoteric to attract broad public interest. This is very exciting to us.”

It’s also a sign of how potent the coal trains have become as an environmental issue around here. The industry proposal, one of several, is to build a coal-shipping terminal near Bellingham, potentially tripling the number of loaded coal trains passing through Seattle.

“I was going to give up and not do this research,” he said, referring to how he had difficulty getting funding for it through typical channels. “It’s a brave new world.”

Jaffe plans to set up air monitors along the tracks, possibly north of Seattle, starting in July. The goal is to see if trains affect air quality, to help inform how building a new coal terminal might affect people up and down the tracks.

Danny Westneat’s column appears Wednesday and Sunday. Reach him at 206-464-2086 or dwestneat@seattletimes.com